Zhong Wen 中文
by Lunakatsuma
Summary: Lelouch, wanting to communicate better with the Chinese Federation, has Suzaku help him with the Chinese language of Mandarin. Little does he know that Suzaku has something important to say to him.


**Luna: I just wanted to write (type) a fanfic in which the following subjects are involved: Lelouch, Suzaku, a foreign language, angst, and friendship. Thus, the fanfic you are about to read was born! Guess why I chose Chinese (or to be more specific, Mandarin) to be the foreign language! ^_^ I'm sorry that there are no accents… and that I skipped the lesson… and I don't even know why I rated this 'T'!**

**Lelouch: (DISCLAIMER) Luna does not own Code Geass or any of its characters.**

* * *

Lelouch watched as C.C. played with his Zero mask, tossing it up and down, up and down. The two were in his bedroom in the campus of Ashford. _Kind of nostalgic, _he thought. _Since this could very well be the last time we two live here together. _He swiveled around in his chair. _Soon, we'll both be in the Chinese Federation's territory, along with the Black Knights and millions of the Japanese. However, the Chinese Federation's trust is beginning to diminish. I need to find some way to strengthen it…_ He sighed.

C.C., catching the sound, turned towards him as the mask landed neatly into her palm. "What's on your mind?"

"The Chinese Federation," Lelouch replied. "I'm not sure how I can bolster their trust in us."

C.C. nodded in understanding. "I have an idea."

"What is it?" Lelouch asked, facing her.

"Language," C.C. answered simply. "They're the _Chinese _Federation, but they've had to speak Britannian to us in all our negotiations. Isn't it only polite to return the favor by speaking to them in their native language?"

"How is that supposed to regain their trust?" Lelouch questioned.

"Well, it would be a good start," C.C. pointed out. "You being there would already make them more comfortable having so many foreigners enter their land, knowing that all said foreigners had one person they listened to, making them all easier to handle. That leader being able to speak their native tongue is just an added bonus."

"You're right," Lelouch admitted. "But how am I supposed to learn Chinese?"

"From Suzaku Kururugi," C.C. responded. "I remember you saying some time ago that he had picked up the language from some of the Prime Minister's political friends before you arrived at the Kururugi Shrine."

"How do you remember that?" Lelouch inquired.

"You made such a big deal about it," C.C. replied lazily. "You went on about how you were amazed that Suzaku, of all people, managed to learn a language fluently in merely a month."

Lelouch flushed, embarrassed. "Anyway, maybe I _should_ go ask Suzaku for help… but how will I explain everything? For one, I'm not supposed to remember my royal heritage, Nunnally, Zero, Mother, and Geass. Won't it seem odd if I ask him out of the blue to teach me how to speak Chinese? He'll be suspicious of my sudden dedication to learning the language, and there's a possibility that he'll connect it with the Chinese Federation's cooperation with the Black Knights-"

"You worry too much," C.C. deadpanned. "Remember, Lelouch; you're supposed to be a normal high school student right now. I'm pretty sure that if you walked up to him right now and asked him if he could teach you Chinese, he wouldn't suspect a thing. Plus, you know that he's kind of ignorant."

"But after all that's happened, he's become paranoid!" Lelouch exclaimed.

"Is _he_ the paranoid one?" C.C. asked.

Lelouch ignored the question and stood up. "I suppose I can give it a try. Who knows; it might actually work." He promptly walked out of the room.

C.C. waited for the sound of the door sliding shut downstairs before sighing. "That boy inherited his stubbornness from you, Marianne…"

* * *

Lelouch tugged his collar nervously and entered the Student Council Room. He was instantly met with greetings (Shirley and Rivalz), a wave (Rolo), and impatience (Milly). He shrugged them off and turned his gaze towards Suzaku, who had acknowledged his arrival by glancing at him, but did not make any move to greet Lelouch. _Seriously, Suzaku, _Lelouch thought as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _If you're going to keep an eye on me, at least be casual about it._

"Suzaku, why are you so stiff?" Lelouch questioned, plastering a gentle smile on his face. "There's no need to be like that; we _are_friends, aren't we?"

If it was even possible, Suzaku stiffened some more. After a moment, he seemed to realize that he should be acting friendlier to Lelouch, and he relaxed. "Sorry, Lelouch; I was just thinking about something."

"Were you thinking about your duties?" Lelouch asked jokingly (not). "You really need to lighten up at school. You're in Ashford Academy right now, and here, there is no need for you to think about those kinds of things."

Suzaku's eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you need something from me, Lelouch?"

"Actually, yes," Lelouch replied, seizing the opportunity. "I was wondering if you could teach me how to speak Chinese."

Suzaku's eyes narrowed even more. "Chinese? Why?"

"I was reading one of Confucius's writings, and I wanted to be able to understand it in a deeper way," Lelouch lied quickly. "I thought that being able to read the original version would help."

"How do you even know that I _knew _how to speak Chinese?" Suzaku inquired.

_Oh. Right. I'm not supposed to remember anything about the Kururugi Shrine, either. _"You told me a few weeks ago," Lelouch lied. "Don't you remember?"

"Couldn't you just use one of those translators that they have online?" Suzaku questioned, frowning.

"Well, that would defy the point," Lelouch replied. His answer didn't really make much sense, but he hoped that it would convince Suzaku.

It worked. "Alright," Suzaku sighed. "Not right now, though. We'll need more time if you want to learn the language quickly- which, of course, I'm sure you can do- so is it okay if we do it at your place?"

"Sure, does dinner sound good to you?" Lelouch asked triumphantly.

"Yeah," Suzaku responded, now smiling.

"I'll see you later, then," Lelouch waved.

"What, you're not staying, Lulu?" Milly pouted.

"Sorry, President, but I only came here to talk to Suzaku, and since I'm finished with that, my work is done here." Lelouch smiled and walked out of the room, unable to believe that Suzaku had actually agreed. He poked his head back into the room. "Oh yeah; Rolo, can you come with me? I need to talk to you for a second."

* * *

As soon as he entered the clubhouse, he remembered something urgent. "C.C.!" he exclaimed, barging into his bedroom.

The green-haired immortal looked up from her pizza. "What is it, Lelouch? You look like you're in a hurry." She waved at her stack of pizza boxes. "Why don't you relax for a bit and eat some pizza? It'll calm you down."

"Are you serious?" Lelouch asked breathlessly.

"Not really," C.C. smirked, looking at her pizza possessively. "I'd never share my pizza with you. Besides, you would never be able to appreciate its art properly as you ate it. The pizza's worth would be lost on you."

"That's not what I meant," Lelouch sighed. "I would never want to eat that greasy stuff, anyway." He surveyed the mess and inspected the empty pizza boxes. "Can't you clean this up? And how did you order and eat this much pizza this quickly? I was only gone for twenty minutes; half an hour tops!"

"I'm C.C., remember?" C.C. replied monotonously. "And no, I _won't _clean this up. Why would I? The smell of pizza would fade away, and we can't have that now, can we?"

"We _have _to have that," Lelouch shot back. "I convinced Suzaku to teach me Chinese, but he'll be coming over here for dinner which is-" He glanced at the clock. "-an hour from now! You need to get away before he sees you, and I need to clean up this mess before he suspects that you were here!"

"It's not like he knows about my pizza obsession," C.C. pointed out.

"Still; how will I be able to explain all this pizza?" Lelouch demanded. "I invited him over for dinner, so I can't say that I got hungry. And he knows that Rolo and I don't eat this much! Just look at us! The only reason that _you _haven't gotten fat yet is because of your Code!"

"Speaking of Rolo, where is he?" C.C. asked.

"He's with Sayoko," Lelouch replied vaguely. "I didn't want him to be with us when Suzaku came over."

"Won't that make Suzaku suspicious?" C.C. asked. "I mean, he _is _supposed to be with you at all times."

"I'll just tell him that Rolo was out on some Student Council business," Lelouch dismissed. "After all, I _am _the Vice President."

"Whatever you say," C.C. sighed. "I'll just enjoy my pizza in peace, then…"

"No, I want you to get out!" Lelouch replied sternly. "If you're not going to clean this up, at least use your time wisely and get out before Suzaku gets here! Here-" He shoved the remaining pizza into one of the pizza boxes and practically threw it into C.C.'s arms. "Now go!"

"So pushy, Lelouch," C.C. teased. "You'll never get a good wife like this."

"Get out, witch!"

* * *

Lelouch had just finished spraying his room to get rid of the disgusting smell of pizza when he heard Suzaku call from outside his door, "Lelouch? I'm here!"

"Suzaku!" Lelouch yelped, nearly dropping the spray bottle. "I'll be there in just a second!" He tossed the spray bottle into the bathroom cupboard, bolted down the stairs, and threw the door open, making sure to look completely casual and normal as he did so. "Come on in."

"Thanks, Lelouch," Suzaku replied, crossing the threshold. "Wow, it sure does smell… _fresh _in here."

"Is that so?" Lelouch quickly gave the brunette and fake smile. "I hadn't noticed."

"Where's Rolo?" Suzaku questioned.

"Oh, he said he had to go do something," Lelouch replied casually. "He didn't say when he'd be back, so I guess we've got the house all to ourselves today." He refrained from telling the brunette that _he _had been the one to tell Rolo to go out. _Let Rolo suffer the consequences. He deserves it after replacing Nunnally, whether he's on my side now or not._

"That's good," Suzaku commented, but Lelouch could see that he was already thinking of a way to punish Rolo. "Without him, you should be able to learn much more."

Lelouch chose not to respond to that remark, instead choosing to walk over to the dining room, where they could talk more comfortably, and sitting down. Suzaku followed suit, taking the seat opposite of the ex-prince.

"Do you know any words or phrases of Mandarin?" Suzaku asked.

"Well, I know 'ni hao'," Lelouch mused. "I also know 'zai jian', 'wo hen mang', 'shi' and all its variations, 'bu shi' and all its variations, and 'si'."

"'Si'?" Suzaku asked harshly. "How did you learn 'die'?"

"Um, I meant 'si' as in 'four'!" Lelouch replied quickly. "I know all the numbers."

"Alright," Suzaku said suspiciously. "Let's continue then…"

* * *

"I think I've got the hang of it now!" Lelouch smiled.

"Good," Suzaku told him approvingly. "But you only know a few basic phrases and words. Try to keep up a conversation with me." He took a breath and said, "Ni hao." _Hello._

"Ni hao," Lelouch responded. "Wo de ming zi shi Lelouch. Ni de ming zi shi she me?" _Hello. My name is Lelouch. What is your name?_

"Wo shi Suzaku," Suzaku replied. "Ni zhe shi gan she me?" _I am Suzaku. What are you doing?_

"Wo gen ni shuo hui," Lelouch smiled.

"No, it's 'wo gen ni shuo _hua_'," Suzaku corrected. _I'm talking to you._

"I knew that there was something wrong," Lelouch groaned. "Okay then; wo ke yi wen ni yi ge wen ti ma?" _Can I ask you a question?_

"Hao ba, shi she me?" Suzaku asked. _Okay, what is it?_

"Ni wei she me zong na me jin zhang wo shen bian?" Lelouch questioned. _Why are you so uptight and nervous around me?_

Suzaku froze. "…mei you ni guan zhu." _…it is none of your concern._

"Wei she me?" Lelouch smirked. "Shi shen me dong xi hui shang hai wo ma?" _Why? Is it something that will hurt me?_

"…ye xu." _…maybe._

"Lai ba, gao su wo!" _Come on, tell me!_

"Ta shi guan yu… Zero…" _It's about… Zero…_

"Zero?"

"Wo shuo gou le!" Suzaku exclaimed hotly. _I've said enough! _He stood up quickly and stood outside the door. However, right before he left, he turned and muttered, "Ni zhi dao, Lelouch… ni ceng jing shi wo de hao peng yo. Ni shi wo sheng ming zhong zui zhong yao de ren. Dan shi, shi jian yi jing dao le tong guo. Zai jian, Lelouch." And he slammed the door closed.

Lelouch sat there, shocked at the abrupt statement. His startled face faded into a regretful, nostalgic expression.He looked out the window into the dark night. _I thought of you with just as much importance once, and I still do..._

* * *

**Luna: Here's a translation list. Note that it does not have the sentences that have already been translated for you in the fanfic.**

**Ni hao: Hello  
Zai jian: Bye  
Wo hen mang: I'm busy  
Shi: Yes  
Bu shi: No  
Si: Die  
Si: Four ('die' and 'four' have different pronunciations)**

**And the most important sentence of them all…  
Ni zhi dao, Lelouch… ni cent jing shi wofed hao peng you. Ni shi wo sheng ming zhong zui zhong yao de ren. Dan shi, shi jian yi jing dao le tong guo. Zai jian, Lelouch.  
**_**You know, Lelouch… you were once my best friend. You were the most important person in my life. But that time has come to pass. Good-bye, Lelouch.**_

**Please review! All criticism is welcomed!**


End file.
